The invention is generally directed to a scoopable dough that can be stored at temperatures suitable for freezing and at temperatures suitable for refrigeration. More specifically, the invention is a scoopable dough that includes flour, water, a protein supplement, a shortening, a humectant, and a leavening system with at least a portion of the leavening system encapsulated, and the scoopable dough has desirable viscoelastic properties.
Ready-made doughs that are storage stable at freezing or refrigeration temperatures are desirable for commercial and home baking. They minimize a cook""s preparation time and are easy to use. Examples of refrigerated doughs are known and include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,801; U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,563; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,315. These refrigerated doughs are typically packaged and stored in a can. They are also typically limited to storage at refrigeration temperatures and cannot alternatively be stored at freezing temperatures.
Yet it can be desirable to have a dough that can be stored at both refrigeration and freezing temperatures. For example, a dough can be shipped frozen and stored frozen prior to use. Alternatively, a dough can be shipped frozen, stored frozen, and then refrigerated prior to use. Further, a dough can also be shipped under refrigerated conditions and then stored.
To prepare a dough that can be refrigerated and frozen, the general problems that arise from refrigeration and freezing should be addressed. For example, doughs that are refrigerated or frozen can prepare products that are doughy or gummy in texture or that result in less than desirable leavening due to premature reaction of the leavening system. Refrigerated and frozen doughs can also have the problems of dough graying and susceptibility to microbial contamination.
Thus, it is desirable to develop a dough that can be stored at freezing and refrigeration temperatures and that can still provide desirable baked products.
A scoopable dough of the invention is shelf stable without storage under a vacuum at freezing temperatures and refrigeration temperatures. The dough is shelf stable at freezing temperatures for between about 2 months and about 6 months. Moreover, after thawing, the dough is shelf stable at refrigeration temperatures for between about 1 day and about 7 days.
A scoopable dough of the invention has desirable viscoelastic properties. These properties can include dough consistency and torque profile. In one embodiment, the dough has a dough consistency of between about 300 B.U. and about 1,200 B.U. In another embodiment, the dough has a torque profile of about 0.3 Nxc2x7cm to greater than about 3 Nxc2x7cm.
A scoopable dough of the invention includes flour, a protein supplement, a shortening, a humectant, a leavening system, and water. The flour and water can be in a flour-to-water ratio of between about 2:1 and about 1:1.
A scoopable dough of the invention can include ingredients suitable for controlling darkening of the dough (i.e., dough graying) such as, for example, flour having low polyphenol oxidase activity, flour having a flour enrichment with all reduced iron, a binder of metal ions, an organic acid, and the like.
A scoopable dough of the invention can control free water by the use of a humectant, absent the use of a hemicellulose compound such as a xylan compound.
A scoopable dough of the invention can be packaged without deoxygenating and hermetically sealing the package.
A scoopable dough of the invention can be packaged in a bucket.
A baked product can be prepared from a scoopable dough of the invention.
A method for preparing a scoopable dough of the invention includes blending all dry ingredients to form a mixture of dry ingredients and mixing water with the mixture of dry ingredients to form a dough.